Audit: TOPS canceled for 44 percent of recipients

A state audit shows that more than 44 percent of the Louisiana students who received scholarships from the state's TOPS program over a seven-year period had their awards canceled for one reason or another.

The audit says the state spent $165 million in TOPS awards for the more than 42,000 students whose awards were eventually canceled.

In response, TOPS administrators said more than 80 percent of money paid for TOPS awards went to students who completed the program. And they said most of the canceled awards were lost by students who failed to maintain enough credit hours but still had good grades.

The audit itself noted that 25 percent of TOPS recipients who graduated from Louisiana public colleges during the period measured graduated even after losing their awards.

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